Union membership in the private sector has shrunk to a record low of 8 per cent after a loss of more than 176,000 members over the past six years.

Data compiled for The Australian Financial Review by the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveals 779,700 private sector employees were members of a union in their main job in 2022 compared to 956,200 in 2016 – a decline of 176,500 or 20 per cent.